“No Exit” For Repugs On Infrastructure Woes

In yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer, PA House Repug John Peterson continued to run and hide from his abysmal performance in the U.S. Congress on the matter of appropriating funding to support vehicle traffic and mass transit in this state (fortunately for us, he announced last January that he would not seek another term).

Maybe he’s thinking that we’re diverted by the Olympics or something and we won’t notice his utter balderdash. Fortunately, that’s not true…

Washington isn't to blame for the sorry state of affairs of Pennsylvania's roads and bridges. The state legislature and the governor are.

Really? Then why did Sen. Joe Scarnati, the state Senate’s president pro tempore from Jefferson County, blame Peterson and fellow Repug U.S. House Rep Phil English here for not securing enough transportation dollars for PA (and did I mention that Scarnati is a Republican?).

And Peterson provides the following information but missing some important context…

Since 2003, $412 million in federal money for repair and maintenance of our state's roads and bridges has been diverted by the governor to fund mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

That’s because the PA State legislature doesn’t permit SEPTA (the state’s biggest transportation authority) to obtain funding any other way than to seek it from Harrisburg; 33 states have authored local or regional sales taxes for transportation costs, but not PA (Peterson has a bit of a point, but he also hasn't don't nearly enough on the federal level himself).

Continuing (with Peterson’s further mischaracterization)…

How do the governor and the state legislature pay for their billion-dollar plunder of the roads and bridges account? By the passage of Act 44, which calls for tolling I-80. Perhaps by fate, Act 44 was the same bill number that brought us the notorious 2006 state pay raise.

Gee John, would you like some apples with your oranges? Try sticking to the matter at hand, of which you apparently have a thin grasp of the facts, to say the least.

As noted in the Ferris post above, Dem U.S. House Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota (where the tragic 35W bridge collapse occurred, pictured above) tried to establish a trust paid for by a temporary gas tax increase to repair our bridges, but House Repugs (with Peterson chiming in, I’m sure) dismissed Oberstar’s plan as a “band aid.”

And speaking of the plan for tolls on I-80, it should be noted that Joe Scarnati also called Peterson and Phil English "obstructionists" for trying to stop the toll plan and use the revenue to pay for bridge and highway improvements and help mass transit (and while I’m definitely not “in love” with the idea of leasing the turnpike, it may be the only way to raise revenue for infrastructure repair).

All of this griping by Peterson sounds like sour grapes from a Repug who, instead, should take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror and realize his truly meager accomplishments on behalf of his constituents.

And to "honor" him, I suggest that The John Peterson Memorial Exit Ramp be built from I-80 at a location designated by the PA Turnpike Commission (who look like a model of efficiency compared to the PA U.S. House 5th District rep). To truly commemorate the departing member of Congress, it should be little more than a cow path of dirt and gravel leading to absolutely nowhere.